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Archives for March 2014

East Notes: Davis, Frandsen, Lombardozzi

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The Mets have decided to place both Ike Davis and Lucas Duda on their Opening Day roster, Kristie Ackert of New York Daily News writes. GM Sandy Alderson did not confirm which of the two would start at first base. Davis, in particular, has frequently been the subject of trade rumors, and the Pirates have been connected to Davis and have a notably unsettled first-base situation. But it appears Davis may remain a Met for now. Here are more notes from the East divisions.

  • The Nationals are one of several teams to touch base with infielder Kevin Frandsen, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post tweets. Frandsen recently opted for free agency after the Phillies outrighted him. Frandsen hit .234/.296/.341 in 278 plate appearances while playing every infield position but shortstop for Philadelphia last year.
  • The trade of Alex Gonzalez to the Tigers was a "gem" from the Orioles' perspective, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun writes. The move demonstrates one reason it makes sense for organizations to sign lots of players to minor-league deals, Connolly suggests — the Orioles signed Gonzalez with little risk, then were able to flip him for a potentially useful, versatile, cost-controlled player in Lombardozzi.

Nationals Release Jamey Carroll, Chris Young

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The Nationals have released veteran infielder Jamey Carroll, Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com tweets. They have also released pitcher Chris Young, tweets MASNsports.com's Dan Kolko.

Carroll, 40, collected 249 plate apppearances with the Twins and Royals last season, hitting a meager .211/.267/.251. He signed a minor-league deal with the Nationals in January. Young, 34, last appeared in the big leagues in 2012 with the Mets. He pitched sparingly in the Nats' system in an injury-plagued 2013 season.

Pirates Acquire Vance Worley

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The Pirates have acquired Vance Worley from the Twins in exchange for cash considerations, the club announced. The Twins outrighted Worley last week. Worley, 26, pitched well for the Phillies in 2011 and fairly well in 2012, but he posted a 7.21 ERA with 4.6 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 48 2/3 innings in 2013 after coming to Minnesota in a trade for Ben Revere.

The Bucs' rotation has depth issues heading into the season, with Francisco Liriano dealing with a groin injury and top prospect Jameson Taillon struggling with elbow pain. In addition, Edinson Volquez has struggled throughout spring training. The Pirates plan to go with a rotation of Liriano and Volquez along with Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton and Wandy Rodriguez.

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

Article XX(B) Free Agents Update: Tuesday

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Major League Baseball's collective bargaining agreement contains a provision that allows certain free agents who are signed to minor league contracts to receive a $100K retention bonus if they are not on the team's 25-man roster or the Major League disabled list five days prior to the season.

Free agents who qualify for this distinction are those who have at least six years of Major League service time and had a Major League contract expire at the end of the previous season, but signed a minor league deal ten or more days prior to Opening Day.

MLBTR has confirmed with MLB that the deadline for teams to decide on these players is today at 11am central time. By the deadline, teams with these players in camp need to decide whether to:

  • Add the player to their 25-man roster or Major League disabled list (or agree to do so in writing).
  • Grant the player his outright release from the minor league contract so that he may pursue opportunities with other teams.
  • Pay the player a $100K retention bonus to keep him in the organization beyond the deadline and send him to the minors.

Here's the latest news from around the league on Article XX(B) signees and their roster statuses with their respective teams (newest updates on top).  

  • Delmon Young receives a $100K bonus from the Orioles, tweets Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com.
  • The Rockies have decided to pay righty Nick Masset a $100K retention bonus to keep him in the organization, rather than releasing him or guaranteeing him an active roster spot, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com.
  • As posted already, Endy Chavez and Humberto Quintero of the Mariners have been released rather than receiving the roster bonus to be held in the minors.
  • The Indians have announced that DH Jason Giambi will be placed on the DL retroactive to March 21, meaning that the team will need to add him to its 40-man roster. 
  • John McDonald has been added to the Angels' 40-man roster and will be the club's utility infielder on Opening Day, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). The club has already released its three other Article XX(B) free agents.
  • The Mets have elected to pay pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka a $100K retention bonus rather than guaranteeing him an Opening Day roster spot or releasing him, the club announced on Twitter. Matsuzaka, who signed as an Article XX(B) free agent, will apparently compete with Jenrry Mejia for the fifth and final rotation slot right up until the start of the season.
  • Zach Duke has been informed that he has made the Brewers, tweets MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Duke will be the third lefty (and, potentially, long man) in the pen.
  • Earlier today we learned that Jason Kubel would make the Twins Opening Day roster.

Phillies, Abreu Delay Opt-Out Clause

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The Phillies have agreed with outfielder Bobby Abreu to push back his opt-out date from tomorrow until this coming Sunday, reports CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury (via Twitter). The move, of course, was designed to give the team more time to evaluate its options with regard to Abreu, who has been out with shoulder soreness.

Abreu, 40, has posted a .257/.422/.400 triple-slash in 45 plate appearances this spring. With multiple injury situations and several players who can play the infield or outfield, the Phillies' roster situation is somewhat difficult to pin down. But it appears that, at this point, it could come down to either Abreu or Tony Gwynn Jr. as the team's left-handed-hitting outfield reserve.

Brewers, Segura Suspend Extension Discussions

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MARCH 25th: Talks between Segura and the Brewers have been suspended, reports Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. With the sides facing a substantial gap between their respective valuations at this point, says Cotillo, there are no current plans to re-open discussions.

MARCH 20th: Haudricourt tweets that Segura's agent and the Brewers are "stealthily" having talks about Segura's extension. Segura himself claims he is not aware of any talks taking place. Segura is represented by Joseph Klein of Bouza Klein & Kaminsky. In a piece for the Journal Sentinel, Haudricourt quotes Segura: "I just want to play my game. I let my agent do his job. He hasn't told me anything."

MARCH 17th: Haudricourt follows up after the weekend, noting that while talks have yet to begin, it sounds like the Brewers will attempt to sign Segura to a long-term deal (Twitter link).

MARCH 14th: Brewers GM Doug Melvin and principal owner Mark Attanasio will meet this weekend to discuss the possibility of engaging young shortstop Jean Segura in extension negotiations, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. So far, no discussions with Segura and agent Joe Kleine have taken place.

The 24-year-old Segura has looked like a potential extension candidate ever since posting a big season in his first full year with Milwaukee. As MLBTR's Charlie Wilmoth opined back in September, Segura might figure to land a five-year deal (with an option) for a guarantee in the low-$20MM range.

Of course, since that time, fellow 1+ service-year shortstop Andrelton Simmons inked a seven-year, $58MM deal. Though Segura lacks Simmons' unbelievable defensive prowess (and resulting high floor), that deal will surely stand in the forefront in negotiations. A poor second half dampened what had been an incredible breakout year for Segura, but he still ended up with an impressive .294/.329/.423 line in 623 plate appearances, posting 12 home runs and 44 stolen bases to go with solid defensive ratings.

It was reported back in February that the Brewers had made Segura an offer during an earlier run at extension talks, which obviously was turned down. No doubt the club will need to open the wallet further than it had originally hoped even to get a conversation started.

NL Notes: Corbin, Guerrero, Young, Francisco, Matsuzaka, Fowler

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MLBTR's own Charlie Wilmoth has just released a new book. Titled "Dry Land," the volume traces the Pirates and their fans through the club's historic losing streak and recent renaissance. Be sure to check out this post for more details and how you can order a copy. On to the links:

  • In two expected moves out of the NL West, Patrick Corbin of the Diamondbacks underwent Tommy John surgery today, MLB.com's Steve Gilbert tweets, while the Dodgers optioned Alex Guerrero to Triple-A, as MLB.com's Ken Gurnick tweets.
  • The Nationals have received trade interest from three or four clubs in starter Chris Young, who has an opt-out in his contract this coming Thursday, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The 33-year-old has had an impressive spring, but seems unlikely to crack the Nats' rotation. 
  • The Pirates have no interest in signing Juan Francisco if he clears waivers, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. We learned earlier today that the team had chosen to go with Travis Ishikawa over Andrew Lambo as its left-handed bat at first.
  • For the Mets, giving Daisuke Matsuzaka a $100K bonus is in large part a strategic effort to protect the club in the event that Jon Niese is unable to make his first start, explains ESPN.com's Adam Rubin. This way, the team can rely on both Matsuzaka and Jenrry Mejia if the need arises, or can simply pick between them for the fifth starter slot.
  • The Rockies are better off without center fielder Dexter Fowler because he "isn't tough enough," opines Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post. (Fowler, of course was dealt to the Astros. As presented in my offseason review for the club, I have a different take on the subject of Fowler's departure from Colorado.) Though Kiszla initially credited Fowler with having "the determination to grind through pain" in mid-August of last year, he apparently adjusted his analysis after the 28-year-old missed twenty games late in the season with ongoing hand and wrist injuries. Manager Walt Weiss effectively pushed Fowler out of town, says Kiszla, because the latter "was not the kind of player Weiss needs on a team that must grind out victories in the National League West." Apparently referring obliquely to Fowler, Weiss emphasized the need for players "to compete and grind and play with grit," while assistant GM Bill Geivett explained that the manager "has got to feel comfortable in the weapons he has to attack the other team." 

Carlos Santana Will Be Indians’ Regular Third Baseman

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Indians manager Terry Francona said today that Carlos Santana will serve as the club's everyday third baseman, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports on Twitter. Francona emphasized that Santana will not platoon with Lonnie Chisenhall, but said that he will also serve as the team's backup catcher.

Needless to say, it appears that Cleveland's lineup construction will be interesting to watch as the season progresses. Of course, if Santana really does see regular part-time catching duties while playing every day in the field, any benefits from reduced wear and tear could be countered by the physical and mental burden of taking on a new position and receiving little rest. And if the team gives him some straight off days to account for this unusual challenge, rather than slotting him in at DH, it stands to lose his bat on those occasions. 

For his part, Chisenhall will make the squad but faces a "fluid" playing time situation, according to a Bastian tweet. We broke down some of the potential hot stove implications of this possible move back in January. 

Orioles Claim Adams, Outright De La Cruz

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TUESDAY: De La Cruz has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, the Orioles announced.

SATURDAY: The Orioles have claimed David Adams from the Indians on outright waivers, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweets. The move clears space on the Indians' 40-man roster for infielder Elliot Johnson. The Orioles have announced that, to make room on their roster for Adams, they have designated pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz for assignment. De La Cruz, 25, posted a 2.67 ERA with 11.2 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 in the high minors of the Dodgers system in 2013. The lefty was out of options.

Adams, 26, hit just .193/.252/.286 in 152 plate appearances with the Yankees in 2013, but more robust .268/.366/.405 in 255 plate appearances at Triple-A Scranton / Wilkes-Barre. The Indians signed him to a big-league deal in December after the Yankees non-tendered him.

Both De La Cruz and Adams were signed to big-league deals this offseason despite a lack of MLB experience (De La Cruz has none). It's a strange coincidence, then, that both would be involved in the same transaction. In January, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes looked at the trend of signing young-ish players with little or no MLB experience to big-league deals.

Royals Designate Carlos Peguero For Assignment

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The Royals have designated outfielder Carlos Peguero for assignment to create roster space for Rule 5 pick Patrick Schuster, tweets Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star.

The 27-year-old former Mariner has had a sparkling spring, posting a .313/.436/.563 triple-slash in 39 plate appearances. But he always faced an uphill battle in unseating Justin Maxwell for the fourth outfielder role. He could find a new home via trade, though any team acquiring him that way (rather than by signing him if he is waived) would need to consider him a strong candidate for an Opening Day spot, as Peguero is out of options.

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